Cabarrus schools seek nearly $400,000 from county lottery funds to close Central Cabarrus High roof funding gap

Cabarrus County Schools officials told the Board of Commissioners on March 24 that a planned roof replacement at Central Cabarrus High School has a current cost estimate of about $2,600,000 and that the district lacks roughly $1,400,000 to complete the project.

Ms. Taylor, director of facilities for Cabarrus County Schools, said the district has tracked about $36,000 in repairs tied to recurring leaks and that crews will not know the full extent of needed work until the roofing membrane is removed. “It is absolutely vital that we get this roof replaced,” she said.

Nut graf: The district said the project’s cost rose because of the school’s complex, multi-decade additions, hazardous-material remediation and post‑COVID supply‑chain and labor pressures. Officials proposed closing the gap by reprioritizing roughly $1.0 million in capital projects and asking the county to approve an amount not to exceed $398,000 from the state school lottery repair funds available to public schools.

School staff told commissioners the roof was bid three times since the district received funding in 2022; the most recent negotiated price was about $2,000,568 (one quoted line indicated $2,068,920 in an exchange). The district said initial planning in 2021 had projected a substantially lower cost, and that multiple additions to the building dating back to the 1960s add complexity and remediation costs.

Commissioners pressed staff on timing and longevity. Ms. Taylor said she plans budgets around a 15‑year lifecycle and that although some manufacturers list 20 years for membrane warranties, the final years typically show accelerated deterioration and limited warranty coverage. At least one commissioner noted concern that spending $2.6 million on a roof might precede an eventual school replacement that district staff estimated could be seven to ten years away.

The district described the proposed funding math as: roughly $2.6 million estimated project cost; about $1.1 million currently budgeted for the project; a reprioritization of a little over $1.0 million from other capital projects that have come in under budget; and a requested one‑time county allocation from lottery repair funds not to exceed $398,000 to close the remaining gap.

Officials said the reprioritized projects were chosen because hard quotes came in under original estimates; they told commissioners they believed those savings were firm but acknowledged the general construction market remains volatile.

Ending: Commissioners did not vote on the request during the work session. Staff said they would return with formal documents if the board wished to act, and the school district asked the board to consider the lottery allocation so the roofing work can proceed without further delay.